In CT imaging, what does the dose modulation feature do?

The dose modulation feature in CT imaging is designed to optimize the radiation dose delivered to the patient by adjusting it according to the patient's size and shape. This technology analyzes the patient's anatomy in real-time and adjusts the amount of radiation emitted by the CT scanner accordingly. By doing this, the system minimizes exposure while still ensuring that the image quality remains at a diagnostic level.

This is particularly important because different patients will have varying levels of tissue density, and the amount of radiation needed to obtain clear images can differ significantly. For instance, larger patients may require a higher dose of radiation to penetrate through denser tissues, while smaller patients would need less. Thus, dose modulation enhances patient safety by reducing unnecessary radiation exposure without compromising the quality of the diagnostic images.